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Transparent as Sunlight

I don't know whether it was more of a threat, a taunt or an accusation, but in my formative years I remember calling out across the school playground, "Liar, liar, pants on fire, can't jump over a telephone wire!" And, I was pretty worked up when I said it. It sure wasn't a compliment.

We don't like it when people don't tell the truth. And it's always wiser to tell the truth because then you won't forget what you have said. If you fabricate an exaggerated story, it is far too difficult to remember all the details you so cleverly imagined.

Ellen White, in her book Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, page 68, says, "Everything that Christians do should be as transparent as the sunlight." This is easier said than done. Only by the enabling grace of God can we live lives of utter transparency. But what a difference it makes when we do! There is no more duplicity and hypocrisy. There are no more little white lies. There is no more pretension or dishonesty.

I wonder what would happen if every Seventh-day Adventist lived a life of absolute integrity? What if we all kept our promises and paid our bills on time? What if we not only shared the truth of Scripture but told the truth about what happened yesterday? What if we lived truly transparent lives? I suspect what would happen is, researchers would be sent from everywhere to study us and figure out what makes us tick.

We often hear new members of the church verbalize their experience as "discovering the truth" or older members of the church talking about "sharing the truth." We use that word "truth" to describe our overall understanding of Bible beliefs. It is something we care passionately about. But just now, I want to challenge all of us to be both people who have the truth and truthful people. Everything we do should be as "transparent as the sunlight."

"What would happen if every Seventh-day Adventist lived a life of absolute integrity?"